Shimmed rail joint



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Patented May 10, 1932 are STATES, PATENT-I oreic WILLIAM EYRE GADD, OFGLEN OLDEN, PENNSYLVANIA,- ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPOBATlGN 0F NEW YORK SHIMMED RAIL JOINT Applicationfiled November 11, 1921. Seria1No.574,40 2.

This invention relates to rail joints, and has generally in view toprovide an improved rail joint of the type in which the splice bar issupported at its ends upon the rail flanges, has clearance at its. endsfrom the und'ersides of the rail heads, and which medially aiiordssupport for the rail heads at the meeting ends thereof, so that drawingof the bar inward effect elevation of the rail ends and maintains thejoint tight and the rail ends high.

More particularly, the invention relates to a rail joint of theforegoing type in which shim means are interposed between the splice barand the rails to afford the supports and clearances mentioned, and inthis connection the general object of the invention is to provide anovel one-piece shim construction to greatly facilitateproduction'thereof, as well as production of rail joints from the same,and to assure retention of the different portions of the shimat alltimes in correct operative relation to eachother and to the splice barand the rails. o

With the foregoing general objectin view, the invention consists in thenovel construction and in the novel combination and arrangement offeatures as will behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and defined inthe appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denotecorresponding parts in the different views v Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a rail joint constructed in accordance. with. a practicaembodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section in the plane of the line 25-2 on Fig. 1showing the shims applied to ahead contact type of rail joint bar. I

Figure 3 is a cross section'in the plane of. the line 3-3 on Fig. 1showing the shim applied to a headfree type of rail joint bar.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the shim device removed from the rail joint.

The rail joint illustrated in the drawings is inclusive, asusual, of therails, designated as R, R, and the cooperating splice bar, designated asB, which bar may be of any suitable type, head contact or headfree.

Each rail is inclusive, as usual, of a head 7 10, a web 11 and aiflange12, and, likewise, the splice barB is inclusive,as usual, of a head 13,a web 14 and a base 15. Also, in accordance with commonpractice, jointbolts 16 are provided for drawing the splice bar inwardly into operativerelation to the rails} Referring to the presentshim device, designatedgenerally as S, which is'formed from suitable sheet metal or othermaterial, and which may be produced by a stamping operation or in anyother desiredmanner, it will be observed that the same is inclusive of avertical body portion of generally triangular shape, designated as 17, amedially dlsposed outwardly and slightly upwardly directed tongue orshim element 18 at the top of said body portion, and anoutwardly andslightly downwardly directed tongue or shim element 19 at each end ofsaid body portion at the bottom thereof.

The body portion 17 of the shim device S is provided at properly spacedpoints with a pair of holes 20- for the accommodation of the two innerjoint bolts 16, the shape of said bodyportion being such that the outerjoint bolts are adapted to clear the upper edges of said-body portionwhen the shim device is embodied in a joint. In the use of the shimdevice to produce a rail joint of the type mentioned the device isinterposed between the rails R, and the splice bar B with the two innerjoint bolts'extending through the holes 20, Thus, the joint bolts serveas pos1-' tioning means for the shim device whereby correct placingofthe same in a joint is greatly facilitated, While at the same timesaid joint bolts also serve as retaining means for theshim device'topositively hold the same in the rail joint assembly. However, it

is pointed'out in this connection, that-the 7 holes 20 are preferablyoval or elongated or otherwise suitably formed to permit all ordinarycontraction and expansion of the shim device. j a

When the shim device is operatively embodied in a joint the body portion17 of the device is disposed between the rail webs 11' and the web 14 ofthe splice bar B with the a tongue or shim element 18 extendingoutwardly between the upper face of the head of the splice bar and theundersides of the rail heads and spanning the meeting ends of thelatter, and with the tongues or shim elements 19, 19 extending outwardlybetween the upper faces of the rail flanges 12 and the under side of thebase 15 of the splice bar at the ends of the latter, respectively. Thus,in the assembled joint the splice bar is supported at its ends upon therail flanges, has clearance at the ends of its head from the undersidesof the rail heads, and through the tongue or shim element 18 affordssupport for the rail heads at the meeting ends thereof, whereby drawingof the bar inwardly obviously effects elevation, of the rail ends andproduces a tight oint in which the rail ends are maintained high.

While new joints of the type mentioned obviously are capable of beingconstructed economically and with facility by means of the present shimdevice, and. while the invention contemplates such use of said device,the same is particularly intended for use in reconstructing old and moreor less badly worn joints. In this connection it is pointed out that thegreatest wear in a rail joint usually takes place on the undersides ofthe rail heads adjacent to their ends and on the corresponding medialportion of the upper face of the splice bar, the wear extending backrelatively short distances from the ends of the rails. Additional wearoccurs, on the upper faces of the rail flanges adjacent to their endsand on the corresponding medial portion of the under side of the base ofthe bar, but this wear usually is not as great as the wear at the headof the joint. In view of the wear occurring as stated, the tongue orshim element 18 preferably is formed of a length substantiallycorrespond ing to or slightly less than the normal length of the worndepression in the upper face of' the head of the splice bar so as tosubstantially fill said depression and the worn end portions of'theunder sides of the rail heads,

while the tongues or shim elements 19 which fit between substantiallyunworn' faces of the rails and the splice bar are formed of any lengthsuitable to afford the necessary bearing area and without extending toofar in wardly from the ends of the bar to interfere with elevation ofthe rail ends when the splice bar is drawn inward. Moreover, the line ofjunction of the tongue or shim element 18 with the body portion 17 ofthe shim device preferably is such that the uppermost edges of the bodyportion 17 are disposed below the head fillets of the rails so as not toofl'er any interference with the supporting of the rail ends by thetongue or. shim element 18, while-in order to avoid any interference bythe body portion of the shim device with supporting of the end portionsonly of the splice bar upon the rail flanges, the lower edge of the saidbody portion, between the tongues or shim elements 19, 19, preferablyterminates slightly above the base fillets of the rails.

By reason of a one-piece shim device constructed as shown and describedit is apparent, as aforesaid, that the device itself is capable of beingproduced economically and with facility, that the effective shimelements thereof are always retained in assembled and properly spacedrelative relation, that the correct placing of the device in a joint isthereby greatly facilitated, and that any possibility of loss of any oneor more of the shim elementsfrom the joint is effectually eliminated. 3

lVithout further description it is thoughtthat thefeatures andadvantages of the in vention will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in theform, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to,without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of theappended claims.

I claim '99 1. A rail oint including the rails, the splice bar, shimelements interposed between the ends of the splice bar and the railflanges, a shim element interposed between the medial portion of thehead of the bar and the under sides of the rail heads, and meanspermanently connecting said shim elements together in a unitarystructure.

2. A rail joint including the rails, the splice bar, and a one-piecesheet metal shim device, said shim device comprising a body portioninterposed between the rail webs and the web of the splice bar, a pairof shim elements in the form of tongues extending outwardly from theends of said body portion, respectively, one of said shim elements beingdisposed between one end of the splice bar and the upper face of therelated rail flange and the other of said shim elements being disposedbetween the other end of the splice bar andthe upper face of the flangeof the other rail, and a third shim element in the form of a tongueextending outwardly from said body portion and disposed between themedial portion of the head of the splice bar and the under sides of themeeting end portions of the rails.

3. A. rail oint including the rails, the splice bar, and a one-piecesheet metal shim device, said shim device comprising a body portioninterposed between the rail webs and the web of the splice bar, a pairof shim elements in the form of tongues extending outward from the endsof said body portion at the bottom thereof and interposed between theends of the splice bar and the upper faces of the rail flanges,respectively, and a third shim element in the form of a tongue extendingoutwardly from said body portion'medially thereof at its top andinterposed between the medial portion of the head of the splice bar andthe under sides of the meeting end portions of the rails, said bodyportion having holes for the accommodation of the innermost pair of thejoint bolts and being of generally triangular shape whereby it iscleared by the other joint bolts.

4. A rail joint including the rails, the splice bar, and a one-piecesheet metal shim device, said shim device comprising a body portioninterposed between the rail webs and the web of the splice bar, a pairof shim elements in the form of tongues extending outward from the endsof said body portion at the bottom thereof and interposed between theends of the splice bar and the upper faces of the rail flanges,respectively, and a third shim element in the form of a tongue extendingoutwardly from said body portion medially thereof at its top andinterposed between the medial portion of the head of the splice bar andthe under sides of the meeting end portions of the rails, said bodyportion having holes for the accommodation of the innermost pair of thejoint bolts.

5. A rail oint including the rails, the splice bar, and a one-piecesheet metal shim device, said shim device comprising a body portioninterposed between the rail webs and the web of the splice bar, a pairof shim elements in the form of tongues extending outward from the endsof said body portion at the bottom thereof and interposed between theends of the splice bar and the upper faces of the rail flanges,respectively, and a third shim element in the form of a tongue extendingoutwardly from said body portion medially thereof at its top andinterposed between the medial portion of the head of the splice bar andthe under sides of the meeting end portions of the rails, the lower edgeof said body portion between the tongues at the ends thereof terminatingabove the base fillets of the rails.

6. A rail joint including the rails, the splice bar, and a one-piecesheet metal shim device, saidshim device comprising a body portioninterposed between 'the rail webs and the web of the splice bar, a pairof shim elements in the form of tongues extending outward from the endsof said body portion atthe bottom thereof and interposed between theends of the splice bar and the upper faces of the rail flanges,respectively, and a third shim element in the form of a tongue extendingoutwardly from said body portion medially thereof at its top andinterposed between the medial portion of the head of thesplice bar andthe under sides of the meeting end portions of the rails, the line ofjunction of the tongue at the top of the body portion with said bodyportion being disposedbelow the head fillets of the rails.

7. A one-piece sheet metal shim device for use in producing a rail jointof the type in ,of the rail flanges, respectively, and a shim element inthe form of a tongue extending outwardly from the top of. the bodyportion medially thereof to be interposed between the medial portion ofthe head of the splice bar and the under sides of the heads of the railsat their meeting ends.

v 8. A shimdevice as set forth in claim 7 in which the body portion isprovided with holes for the accommodation of certain of the joint boltsand is of a shape to clear other of the joint bolts.

9. A shim device as set forth in claim 7 in which the lower edge of thebody portion between the shim elements at the ends thereof is disposedrelatively to said shim elements so as to lie above the base fillets ofthe rails when the shim device is operatively embodied in a joint.

10. A shim device as set forth in claim 7 in which the line of junction.of the body portion with the shim element at the top of the body isdisposed to lie below the head signature.

WILLIAM EYRE GADD.

